The Best Hip Hop Songs of 2010
Looking for the best hip hop songs of 2010? Look no further! We’ve compiled a list of the top tunes that will get you moving.
Best Hip Hop Songs of 2010
The year 2010 was an incredible year for music, especially hip hop. So many great artists released new music and there were a lot of different sounds and styles being experimented with. It was a really exciting time for the genre. Here are some of the best hip hop songs of 2010.
“Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys
“Empire State of Mind” is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z, featuring American singer Alicia Keys, from Jay-Z’s 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 (2009). Produced by Al Shux and written by Angela Hunte and Cole Poris, the song was released as the third single from The Blueprint 3 on September 8, 2009.
“Empire State of Mind” achieved commercial success worldwide, peaking at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks. The track peaked at number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and has become Alicia Keys’ fourthNumber one single on that chart. It also peaked at number one in Canada, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In 2010 it was ranked as Billboards second most successful song of 2010. The song became Jay-Zs first chart topper as a lead artist which made him tied with Elvis Presley in having the seventh most No. 1 songs in Billboard history. He is now tied with Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Usher for having the fourth most No. 1 songs on that particular chart Posted by Joey Guerra on Wednesday October 20, 2010 12:48am
The music video for “Empire State of Mind” was filmed in June 2009 in various locations around New York City including eight months after filming had wrapped up. It features appearances from several people who worked on or contributed to The Blueprint 3 including producers Shux and Khallil Felder as well as rappers Drake and Bun B. The video was directed by Hype Williams.”Empire State of Mind” was nominated for three awards at the 52nd Grammy Awards which were held on January 31, 2010; it won Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.”Empire State of Mind” has been ranked highly on multiple year end best song lists,” Empire State of Mind” gained mostly positive reviews from contemporary music critics upon its release
“Run This Town” – Jay-Z ft. Rihanna & Kanye West
“Run This Town” is a song by American rapper Jay-Z. The song also features Rihanna and Kanye West, who are both credited as co-writers. It was released on August 9, 2010, as the lead single from Jay-Z’s twelfth studio album The Blueprint 3 (2009). The song’s production was handled by West and Emile Haynie, who also did the instrumentation. “Run This Town” was released to US radio stations on August 9, 2010 as the album’s lead single. “Run This Town” samples British rock band The Clash’s 1982 single “Should I Stay or Should I Go”, which had previously been sampled in hip hop songs such as M.O.P.’s 1994 song “Ante Up”.
Thesong received mixed reviews from music critics; some praised the song’s production and composition, while others criticized its lyrics. The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached the top ten in over ten countries, including Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
“Nothin’ on You” – B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars
“Nothin’ on You” is a song by American rapper B.o.B, released as the lead single from his debut studio album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010). The track features American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars on the hook and was written by B.o.B, Philip Lawrence and Mars. It was first sent to Rhythmic radio on April 27, 2010 and then to Urban radio on May 11, 2010 as the album’s second single. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hip Hop/R&B Songs charts. Internationally, the record charted within the top ten in several countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The music video was released on May 7, 2010. Scenes find B.o.B performing in front of a neon sign reading “Nothing On You” in reference to both Mars’s chorus hook as well as lines in his own verse where he proclaims himself “so fly there’s nothing on me.” Throughout the video women of various ethnicities are seen dancing or daydreaming about being with B.o.B while he raps about ideal physical qualities in a mate.”
“Nothin’ on You” was nominated for two Grammy Awards; Song of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 53rd ceremony. It also won three MTV Video Music Awards; Best Male Video, Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Collaboration.”
“Find Your Love” – Drake
“Find Your Love” is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, released as the second single from his debut album Thank Me Later. The song features and was co-written by soul singer Marvin Gaye and features a prominent sample of his song “Can I Get a Witness”.
The song became Drake’s first number-one single as a lead artist on the Billboard Hot 100, and also his first to top the RPM 100 Singles Chart in Canada. The accompanying music video features Drake wooing the love interest of an actress played by Miley Cyrus.
“Forever” – Drake ft. Lil Wayne, Eminem & Kanye West
Drake’s “Forever” was one of the most popular songs of 2010 and featured Lil Wayne, Eminem and Kanye West. The song was a hit with Hip Hop fans and helped to cement Drake as one of the biggest names in the genre.
Worst Hip Hop Songs of 2010
As the year comes to an end, we have to take a look back at the songs that made us hate our lives just a little bit more. These are the songs that no matter how many times they came on the radio, we could never seem to get away from them. Here are the worst hip hop songs of 2010.
“Bedrock” – Young Money ft. Lloyd
As much as we all enjoyed Young Money’s breakout hit “Every Girl,” we were not so thrilled with this follow-up single. “Bedrock” just sounded like more of the same — uninspired and unoriginal.
“I Invented Sex” – Trey Songz ft. Drake
In 2010, Trey Songz released his single “I Invented Sex” featuring Drake. The song was met with criticism for its objectifying lyrics and misogynistic message. However, the song was a commercial success, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Imma Be” – Black Eyed Peas
It’s hard to believe that this was once one of the most popular songs in the world. “Imma Be” was inescapable in 2010, thanks to its ubiquity on radio and its use in a ubiquitous Beats by Dre commercial. The problem is that the song itself is just awful, a monotonous slog through Auto-Tuned nonsense delivered by will.i.am and Fergie. It’s the epitome of everything that was wrong with pop music in the late 2000s/early 2010s, and it’s still painful to hear today.
“Telephone” – Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce
It’s Gaga’s strident, slightly Auto-Tuned vocal performance that makes “Telephone” unlistenable. Add in the techno production values and a dizzying array of pop culture references, and you’ve got a perfect storm of annoying.
“Your Love” – Nicki Minaj
“Your Love” is a song by Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj, taken from her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010). It was released as the album’s fourth and final single on July 13, 2010. The song was written by Minaj, Ester Dean, Traci Hale, and its producer Kane Beatz. “Your Love” is a Eurodance and R&B song that contains elements of electronic music. Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot praised the song for being “a bouncy bit of European house music.” According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, “Your Love” is written in the key of C♯ minor and has a fast tempo of 130 beats per minute. Nicki’s vocal range in the song spans from the low note of G3 to the high note of C♯5.
